Sheet paper and paper board laminating machine



H. DYMENT March 15, 1955 2,704,107 SHEET PAPER AND PAPER BOARD LAMINATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12. 1951 4 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Hfl/YOLD ,DYMF/VZ' March 15, 1955 DYMENT 2,704,107

SHEET PAPER AND PAPER BOARD LAMINATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 601) I I ma I /"/32 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. H11 R04 0 Z YMEJV'Z' H. DYMENT Match 15, 1955 SHEET PAPER AND PAPER BOARD LAMINATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 T l 1 L m/ M F FIG. 8

Filed Sept. 12, 1951 H. DYMENT SHEET PAPER AND PAPER BOARD LAMINATING MACHINE 4 SheetsSheet 4 .Jl l'iilll HHIIIHII] II III illlllllll llllllllllllllll FIG. 6

. FIG. 7 i l l I i v INVENTOR. I Hmz-aw flrzmsvrz' I BY Mum Ara? United States Patent SHEET PAPER AND PAPER BOARD LAMINATING MACHINE Harold Dyment, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application September 12, 1951, Serial No. 246,221

14 Claims. (Cl. 15435) This invention relates to a machine for laminating a number of sheets of material, such as paper or paper and paper board.

A particular embodiment herein shown, described and claimed is concerned primarily with cementing upon a paper board a thinner sheet on either or both sides thereof.

Lithograph pictures are usually printed on relatively thin paper, too flexible to support itself. Such sheets are mounted on stiffer paper board for innumerable types of display signs for advertising purposes and the like. It is a widespread practice to produce the lithograph sheets in one place and then ship them to another locality for mounting on the heavier sheets before final distribution and use. This effects economies in shipping and handling costs.

Very frequently it is desired to cover the back of the paper board with another paper sheet of similar thinness, which may carry printed matter, another display engraving, or may be plain, as desired.

Such signs and displays are used in very large quantities. The applicant is aware that various machines and methods have been used for such purposes, but has found it desirable to improve the means for handling these sheets in order to increase the speed and improve efiiciency and eliminate waste resulting from defective or inaccurate application of the thinner sheets to the more rigid supporting or mounting sheets.

The general object of the invention is to so construct such a machine that it may be efiicient and rapid in operation and relatively simple in construction.

More specific objects include the provision of means for uniformly applying a paste or glue to the paper board and feeding the same in a continuous motion between rollers to which are fed the thinner sheets, and which sheets are presented to the moving paper board and pressed therebetween in accurate registration by synchronized movement of the feeding and pressing means.

Other specific objects include the provision of simple effective means for engaging, carrying and registering the more flexible sheets; bringing them around rollers into position to be applied to the paper board which is being fed to the pressure rollers from the opposite direction and through cement-applying rollers.

The arrangement and means for attaining the above objectives will become apparent in the following description which refers to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of the rollers, sheet feeding and cementing mechanisms;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a machine in which said rollers, gears and timing connections are embodied; the view being taken from the side looking in the direction from right to left of the arrangement of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing one end of one of the pressure rolls illustrating the vacuum pick- P;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the arrangement of the vacuum passages and indicating the paper being picked up;

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail indicating the laminations of an intermediate paper board to which two sheets of thinner paper are applied;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the main pressure drums and feeding rollers and disks, showing gear connections and a portion of one of the timing stop gauges;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative posi- 2,704,107 Patented Mar. 15, 1955 tion of the cement-applying rollers, being taken on a plane indicated by the line 7--7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the arrangement of one of the stop gauges and its operating lever and cam.

A brief description of the general operation and the arrangement of parts is as follows:

A sheet of paper board B is fed through cementapplying rollers 10 and 12 to pressure cylinders 15 and 16 by a feeding mechanism geared in timed relation to bring the lithograph and back-up sheets L and P to the pressure rollers at a time when the forward edges of these thin paper sheets L and P are carried around these cylinders to meet the leading edge of the paper board B, now carrying the applied cement, and to which the sheets L and P are pressed as they pass through the meeting zone of the pressure cylinders.

Referring to the parts more specifically, the cement, paste or glue is fed to and applied to the surfaces of the rollers 10 and 12 by applying rollers 20 and 22 urged into contact therewith by any suitable resilient means, not shown. These rollers 20 and 22, of course, bring cement or glue from suitable containers by picking up the glue on their surfaces and transferring it to the rollers 10 and 12, in the well-known manner.

Mounted on a shaft 25 are a series of separated feeding disks 26, each having a segment 27 of larger radius on the perimeter and preferably formed of rubber. The balance of the perimeter of each of these disks 26 is slightly smaller in diameter, thus providing clearance and avoiding pressure against a contact feed roller 30. The cardboard B may thus rest on the perimeters of the disks 26 while having its leading edge positioned by a movable gauge indicated at 32 until released when the segments 27 press the paper board B against the roller 30, feeding it forwardly, to the right, into contact with and between the rollers 10 and 12.

The gauge 32 may constitute a series of stop fingers mounted on a rock shaft which is actuated by a cam surface 35 on a disk cam 36, carried on the same shaft 25, and acting through a lever indicated at 37 contacting the cam 35 to lower the fingers from the path of the cardboard B.

At 40 is diagrammatically illustrated a gear wheel which constitutes an idler gear connecting suitable gears on each of the shafts 25 and 14 to effect corresponding peripheral speeds between the gripping and feeding cams and the roller 12.

A similar idler gear indicated at 42 meshes with a gear on the shaft of the cylinder 16 to effect the synchronism of the peripheral speed of the cylinder 16 with the feed and cementing rollers. This cylinder in turn is geared with the cylinder 15 to effect simultaneous rotQtlOIiI of the latter, and again at the same peripheral spee When examining the arrangement of Fig. 1, it should be borne in mind that the gears are at the ends of the shafts carrying the respective rollers, disks and cylinders. There is only one stop gauge cam on the shaft 25, and a similar cam at the ends of each of the cylinder-carrying shafts 18 and 19.

These latter cams are indicated at and 55, the cam 50 having a raised portion 51 actuating the gauge fingers of the gauge 52 through a rock arm or contact member diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1 at 54, for controlling the timing of the feed of the paper or lithographed sheet L. The cam 55 actuates the stop finger gauge members 57 by having a cutaway segment 56 and a larger diameter portion of the perimeter to control the feeding of the paper sheet P to be applied to the underside of the mounting paper board.

The paper L having been advanced to the stop or gauge fingers at 52 is fed toward the left over the cylinder 15 by enlarged radius segments of rubber 61 on feed disks 60. These disks rotate in timed relationship to the upper cylinder. Likewise, feeder disks 65 having increased radius rubber faced segments 66 etfect the feeding of the other paper sheet P to the cylinder 60, and timed to be eflfective upon the release of the stop gauge 57.

These enlarged segments 61 and 66 press the paper against rollers gripping the sheets to be fed after the manner described in connection with the segments 27 and roller 30.

The small cylindrical roller 70 acting as the gripper feed roll coacting with the cam 61 is geared in timed relation with the periphery of the cylinder 15, as by a gear indicated at 72. Similarly, a roller 75 coacts with the cam 66 and is driven by a gear indicated at 73.

To carry the laminated sheet away from the pressure rollers, one or more carrier rollers 80 may be driven by a gear indicated at 81. This roller 80, as appears in Fig. 2, is shown as having a series of enlarged rounded portions, minimizing the amount of contact with the freshly applied and perhaps still moist sheet on the lower side of the composite laminated sheet.

To avoid the sagging of the leading edge or intermediate span of the paper board between the paste rollers and the cylinders, I may provide a series of supporting spur wheels 90, the points of which minimize the contact with the glue-carrying or paste surface of the under side of the paper board. These may or may not be driven in timed speed relation. Made of light weight and rotating freely, they merely may constitute a support to move with the motion of the paper.

The pickup by the pressure cylinders is preferably effected by a vacuum or suction action, a novel and simple arrangement being shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the shafts of the pressure cylinders are connected at their ends with a conduit leading to a series of aligned openings in the face of the pressure cylinder.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the end of the shaft 18 is shown as having a passage 100 which may lead to a rotating connection joint, not shown. From this passage a conduit 102 connects with and leads from a passage 105 extending along longitudinally aligned series of pickup openings or perforations 106 in the face of the cylinder. This passage may be formed by a half tube member 108 extending along these openings, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. diagrammatically illustrates with exaggerated thickness, of course, the intermediate heavier stiffer paper board or back-up sheet B to which the thinner sheet L carrying a lithographed picture or sign has been applied and cemented by passing through the machine. The back of the sheet or lower side may or may not have a sheet P applied to it.

It is to be understood that the timing of the stops and gauges and of the vacuum pickup at the leading edge of the sheets L and P, as well as the motion of all of the parts, may be effected by gears and cams of any suitable construction. For example, at 110 a cam may act on mechanism not shown for controlling the application and release of the vacuum.

The roller shafts likewise may be all suitably geared together. At the left of Fig. 1 is shown a chain of gears, the principal pair of which are designated 115 and 116 on the shafts 18 and 19 for the main pressure drums, while intermeshing gears for the feeder disks 70 and 65 and their coacting rollers are shown in varying widths to facilitate indicating the same. These gears are preferably covered by a suitable housing, as indicated at 102 on the side of the machine frame 125 in Fig. 2. Electric power may be brought to suitable controls through lines indicated at 130, the controls being suitably housed within a box 132 also carried on a frame.

A vacuum pump indicated at 135 and other auxiliary devices suitable for such a laminating and glueing machine may likewise be mounted within the frame in any suitable manner and as is customary in such machines, it being understood, of course, that it is desirable to have the machines self-contained. The machine may be easily controlled and is capable of performing all its functions with a minimum of manual operation and with uniform high standard of excellence in final results.

As indicated, in operation the paper board B is fed between the disks 26 and roller 30 to the stop gauges 32. The paper sheets L and P are fed between their feeding disks and rollers to the stop gauges 52 and 57. The timed action effected by the gearing and cams described now releases these gauges in such relation that a paper board will pass through the paste-applying rollers and 12, and over the spur guiding and supporting disks 90, while the vacuum grip brings the sheets L and P around the respective drums to be uniformly pressed against the paste-carrying intermediate stiffening member or paper board B. The three lamination elements B, L and P being thus firmly pressed and cemented together as a unit now continue outwardly over the supporting roll 80. These three lamination sheets are indicated in broken lines at the right in Fig. 1.

On each successive revolution of the pressure rollers, the paste sheet applying laminating steps are repeated, and it will be seen that very high speed of operation may be attained with uniformity and excellency.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A sheet paper and paper board laminating and cementing machine comprising a plurality of parallel rollers and coacting feeding disks, there being a feeding roller and spaced coacting disks for feeding a paper board and coextensive with its width, a set of feeding rollers and spaced disks for each of two paper sheets, a pair of coacting paste-applying rollers and a pair of coacting pressure rollers, said rollers being coextensive with the width of the paper sheets, movable stop gauges and means for operating the same to arrest the movement of and to bring the paper board and paper sheets to the line of contact between the pressure rollers and in mutually timed relationship, and means for driving all of the rollers contacting the paper board and paper sheets at the same peripheral speeds.

2. A machine of the character described in claim 1 in which the stop gauges normally stand in the path of the leading edges of the respective sheets, and earns moving with the feeding disks actuate the stop gauges to release the sheets when gripped by the feeding disks.

3. The machine defined in claim 1 in which the feeding disks have segments of enlarged diameter and reduced circumferential idle portions.

4. The machine defined in claim 1 in which said feeding disks have segments of enlarged diameter formed of resilient friction material.

5. A machine for cementing together a plurality of sheets of different flexibility and thickness, comprising coacting pressure rollers, cement-applying means and feeding means for the several sheets, the feeding means for the stiffer sheet being arranged to move the same edgewise in a plane to and between the pressure rollers and including arcuate gripping and pressure surfaces and coacting stop gauges, the feeding means for each more flexible sheet to be applied thereto including means for applying a vacuum suction to the forward edge of each flexible sheet and carry it around a portion of the circumference of the pressure rollers to the line of cementing pressure contact, and cement-applying rollers positioned to contact said stiffer sheet.

6. The machine described in claim 5, including a pair of cement-applying rollers adapted to contact both sides of the stiff sheet between its feeding roller and disks and the pressure rollers, and means for spreading cement on the surfaces of said rollers.

7. The machine defined in claim 5, including a plurality of aligned star wheel supporting elements having their points tangent to the path of the stiffer sheet and between the cement-applying rollers and pressure rollers.

8. The machine described in claim 5, in which the stop gauges are moved out of the path of the several sheets and cams are provided for so moving said gauges on the respective shafts for the feeding disk for the stiffer sheet and on each of the shafts of the pressure rollers.

9. The machine described in claim 5 including gearing connecting together all feeding rollers and cement-applying rollers and feeding disks to elfect uniform peripheral speeds.

10. In a machine of the character described, a feed roller and coacting and pressure-exerting feeding segments adapted to intermittently move a stiff backing sheet, a pair of pressure-applying laminating rollers parallel to the first-named roller, a feed roller and a set of separated feeding disks each carrying paper-engaging segments and rotating on axes parallel to the pressure rollers and positioned so that paper may be fed tangentially to the pressure-applying laminating rollers at points circumferentially remote from the line of pressure contact, said pressure-applying rollers each having a series of longitudinally arranged openings, means applying vacuum to said openings to pick up the forward edge of each of the thinner paper sheets and hold the sheets to the rollers to bring them to the line of pressure contact, a pair of cement-applying rollers, either of which may apply cement to a surface of the stiffer board, and positioned between the feeding means for the stiffer board and the pressure rollers.

11. The mechanism described in claim 10 in which all of the pressure rollers, feeding rollers and disks and cement-applying rollers are mounted on shafts, gears connecting all of said shafts and a frame comprising side members supporting the shafts and connected together to form a unitary structure.

12. The mechanism described in claim 10 including a carrier roller for supporting the laminated sheet structure as it moves away from the pressure rollers.

13. In a machine for laminating paper and paper board by simultaneously applying thin sheets to opposite sides of a stiff carrier sheet, including a feeding mechanism for the paper board sheet comprising a roller substantially coextensive with the width of the sheet, a parallel shaft on the opposite side of the sheet and carrying a plurality of disks having pressure-feeding segments arranged to momentarily engage and advance the paper board sheet, a stop for engaging the forward edge of the paper board sheet, and actuating means on the same shaft for moving the stop out of the path of the paper board sheet, a pair of parallel paste-applying rollers to which the feeding mechanism advances the paper board sheet, a pair of thin sheet applying and coacting laminating rollers to which the paper board sheet is advanced from the paste-applying rollers, feeding rollers and segments arranged on shafts parallel with the other shafts and rollers for intermittently feeding a thin sheet to each of the laminating pressure rollers, and cam controlled stops for engaging and releasing the forward edges of the thin sheets and mechanism for synchronizing the stops and feeding of the thin sheets, the laminating pressure rollers having openings and means for applying suction to the forward edges of the thin sheets and whereby they may be carried around a portion of the laminating pressure rollers in timed positioning relation to the paper board sheet.

14. The machine described in claim 13 in which each of the laminating pressure rollers is provided with a suetion passage parallel with its shaft and in which the suction openings are arranged in a longitudinal row coextensive with the width of the sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,504,388 Shelor Aug. 12, 1924 1,664,898 Richards Apr. 3, 1928 2,289,336 Bamford July 14, 1942 2,537,874 Aquilla Jan. 9, 1951 

